Noel Stansfeld

Noel Stansfeld, (25 February 1915 – 1995) was a Canadian flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of at least seven aircraft.

From Alberta, Stansfeld joined the RAF on a short service commission in 1938. Once his training was completed, he was posted to No. 242 Squadron. He flew Hawker Hurricane fighters during the Battle of France, claiming his first aerial victories, then in the subsequent Battle of Britain. Wounded when he was shot down in later September 1940, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross the following month. The majority of the remainder of his war service was spent as an instructor and as a pilot in transport squadrons. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) before the end of the war and remained in the service after the cessation of hostilities. Invalided out of the RCAF in 1948, he worked for British Columbia's Attorney-general's Department in civilian life. He died in 1995.

Early life Noel Karl Stansfeld was born on 25 February 1915 in Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada. Once his schooling was completed, he worked as a broker in the Vancouver Stock Exchange. In May 1939, having travelled to the United Kingdom, he applied to the Royal Air Force for a short-service commission. He was granted his commission on 24 June, with the rank of acting pilot officer and for a term of four years. Having undergone initial flight instruction at No. 3 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School at Brough, he proceed to No. 8 Flying Training School at Montrose.

Later war service At the end of the year Stansfeld was promoted to flying officer. The next month, having recovered from his wounds, he was repatriated to Canada. For the next two years he performed instructing duties, firstly at No. 34 Service Flying Training School at Medicine Hat and then at No. 32 Operational Training School at Patricia Bay. A report from a senior officer during this period noted that he deemed Stansfeld "suited to training duties". In late 1943, Stansfeld, who had by this time been promoted to flight lieutenant, returned to the United Kingdom.

Stansfeld attended No. 2 Flying Instructors School at Montrose and then served as an instructor at the Advanced Flying Unit for pilots at Kidlington. In February 1945, he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He was posted to No. 426 Squadron, which was a transport unit based in India. He served with this squadron and then No. 436 Squadron, transporting military personnel around the Far East, until early 1946.

Postwar career Stansfeld remained in the RCAF in the postwar period but at some stage developed tuberculosis. He was medically released from the RCAF as a squadron leader in late 1948. Returning to civilian life, he was subsequently employed in the attorney-general's Department in British Columbia. In 1970, the excavation of the wreckage of Stansfeld's Hurricane that had crashed at Ightham was filmed for the ITV's Magpie television series. Stansfeld was flown to London for the show and was presented with the gunsight that had been recovered from his aircraft. In his retirement years, he continued to live in British Columbia until his death in 1995.

Stansfeld is credited with the destruction of seven aircraft, two of which shared with other pilots, plus one further destroyed aircraft that could not be confirmed. He is also credited with one aircraft probably destroyed.